Do you have what it takes? The search is on for Canada's All-Star team of secondary school students

The prestigious TD Canada Trust Scholarships for Community Leadership recognize 20 outstanding Canadian youth with up to $70,000 each TORONTO, Oct. 1 /CNW/ - Are you a student in your final year of high school or CEGEP? Have you demonstrated leadership and made a positive difference in your community? If so, you are invited to apply for one of 20 TD Canada Trust Scholarships for Community Leadership valued at up to $70,000 each. Since launching the program in 1995, TD Canada Trust has awarded 260 recipients as part of its commitment to youth education. "Our scholarship program continues to be one of the most prestigious and financially rewarding undergraduate scholarship programs of its kind in Canada," said Tim Hockey, Group Head Canadian Banking, TD Bank Financial Group and President and CEO, TD Canada Trust. "This year we are proud to honour 20 exceptional high school students with scholarships worth up to $70,000 to celebrate their outstanding community leadership and academic excellence." The program rewards students who have shown academic excellence and extraordinary community leadership in many areas including environmental cleanup, the promotion of social justice, and the fight against child poverty. "The academic pressures of getting a university degree can be a lot to handle but adding a financial burden on top can often make them overwhelming," said Kristen Coutts, a TD Canada Trust Scholarship recipient in 2005. "Not only are tuition fees rising, but so too are the costs for books, computers, transportation, meals and social activities. The dollars just keep adding up. Thanks to TD I am able to continue my communication studies at York University without having to stress about tuition and other expenses - I am truly thankful." Each scholarship is valued at up to $70,000, including full tuition at any accredited university or college in Canada, mentorship opportunities, $7,500 a year towards living expenses and a guaranteed offer of summer employment at TD Canada Trust for up to four years. To obtain an application, eligible students can: - Visit a TD Canada Trust branch or their high school guidance office - Check out the website at www.tdcanadatrust.com/scholarship - Call 1-800-308-8306 or send a fax requesting an application to (613) 563-9745. Completed applications must be returned by registered mail and postmarked no later than October 31, 2008 to: Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) Ref: TD Canada Trust Scholarships for Community Leadership 350 Albert Street Suite 600 Ottawa, ON K1R 1B1 All applicants selected as finalists will be notified by mid-January 2009 and interviewed by a selected panel comprised of prominent Canadians in early February. Scholarship recipients will be notified soon after. TD Community Giving: Making a Difference Together Children's health, literacy and education, and the environment are the three primary areas of focus for TD's community giving. The major flagship programs within these areas are: TD Children's Hospital Fund, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation and the TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, TD Canadian Children's Book Week, TD Canada Trust Scholarships for Community Leadership, and the TD Summer Reading Club. In addition, through the support of our customers and employees, TD is involved with a host of national, regional and local programs in support of diversity, arts and culture and other causes. In 2007, TD donated $33 million to more than 2,000 charities and not-for-profit organizations across Canada. For further information: TD Bank Financial Group contact: Gregory Harrison, (416) 308-8597, gregory.harrison@td.com; GCI Group on behalf of TDBFG: Jill Quinn, (416) 486-5906, jquinn@gcigroup.com; Elynn Wareham, (416) 486-5910, ewareham@gcigroup.com

Do you have what it takes? The search is on for Canada's All-Star team of secondary school students

See you in a bit